Best Planer

Many enthusiast do it yourselfers will buy a load of power tools but will not think of investing in a planer precisely because they are so expensive. However, if you were to take a closer look at the price of un processed boards versus the ones that have been smoothed or planed for you, you may realize that you could make up the price in the span of very few projects. There is also the fact that planers are some of the most powerful wood working tools on the market, and that further puts off some people, but the truth is that they have many built in safety features and they are not that difficult to operate. Of course, the challenge is to only use the very best designs, which is why we decided to put together this list. As you will see, there are 2 basic types of planers, fixed ones, and mobile ones. We have found that the fixed ones are the easiest and safest to use, and they provide the best results, especially when handled by beginners. Still, we have included both types in our list as the prices vary greatly with each type, and have even included an option for a one project enthuse, but each of these options have their pros and cons so make sure to scroll past the list to our in depth reviews.

1. DeWalt DW735X 13″ Two-Speed Planer Package

If this was Oprah, everyone of our readers would get a DeWalt DW735X 13″ Two-Speed Planer Package simply for taking an interest in the subject. The DeWalt is a fixed planer with a massive 15 Amps motor that goes through wood, even hard or wood that is full of knots, like a hot knife through butter. The motor is helped by the 3 knife cutting head that will also make your life a lot easier when it comes to changing it. The gear box is a 2 speed one, which greatly influences the smoothness of the boards, especially when you will learn to adjust the speed with the hardness of the wood. Another great feature that we loved about the DeWalt and that you can really only find on a fixed planer, is the precise height adjustment that will allow you to get all of your planks to be of the exact same thickness. Finally, there is a chip ejection vacuum system that can be hooked up to almost any type of wood chips processing system you might have from a simple bag to a big shop vac system. The point being that, as long as you can afford it, this is the absolute best planer on the market.

2. WEN 6530 6-Amp Electric Hand Planer

The cheaper alternative to the static planer is the hand held one, and the WEN 6530 6-Amp Electric Hand Planer is really the best choice you could make. It costs a fraction of what a fixed planer would, even if we were talking about the cheaper ones. There is also the fact that it basically has no limitations in how wide or thick the boards you are processing can be. The biggest disadvantage is that you have to use your own strength to move it along the board and it will take a little bit of getting used to the device before you can get perfectly smooth results. The good news is that you can adjust the cutting depth from anywhere between 0 to 1/8 inches thick, and the shallower the cuts are, the easier the planer will be to handle. So you can set it on the minimal depth and just take several shots at it.

3. Stanley 12-404 No. 4 Adjustable Bench Plane with 2-Inch Cutter

We have already told you that the WEN planer costs a fraction of what the DeWalt does, so we think you are going to be very pleasantly surprised to find that the Stanley 12-404 No. 4 Adjustable Bench Plane with 2-Inch Cutter costs a fraction of what the WEN does. That is because the Stanley is a fully manual planer, not that much different than what wood workers would have been using in Jesus’s time. That implicitly means you can use the Stanley 12-404 No. 4 Adjustable Bench Plane with 2-Inch Cutter to handle all of our projects, but we would not recommend it since it really does take a lot of effort and high level of mastery to get the boards looking anywhere near as smooth as the ones you would get from the DeWalt in seconds. Still, if you are only going to handle a single project and need to do it with a minimal investment, the Stanley 12-404 No. 4 Adjustable Bench Plane with 2-Inch Cutter is a pretty good tool to use.

4. Delta Power Tools 22-555 13 In Portable Thickness Planer

If need be, there is actually a planer that will help you get your money back just in the price of wood in just a couple of projects, and it is the Delta Power Tools 22-555 13 In Portable Thickness Planer. It is a perfectly adequate planer, but the cutting head is a simple one, and you will need to change it more often than on the DeWalt. Still, this is a perfectly useful tool, the knives can be changed with ease, and it had the precise thickness adjusting system that we so love about fixed planers. There is also the fact that with the Delta Power Tools planer, you get an infeed and outfeed tables so the wood is fet perfectly into the machine.

5. Porte-Cable PC60THB Hand Planer

The last planer we are going to feature in our search for the best tool of its kind is the Porte-Cable PC60THB Hand Planer. It is a more expensive tool than the WEN we have already featured, but then again Porter-Cable is a much better brand than WEN. The point is that if you are planning to handle a lot of projects that require a planer, but do not think of investing in a full sided one, or perhaps you need a hand held one, then the Porte-Cable PC60THB Hand Planer is a better choice because it is a more reliable tool over the span of many projects. In terms of power they are both the same at 6 Amps so it is really about what brand you trust the most.